big boxes vs local business

big boxes vs local business, originally uploaded by Ten Directions.

i would shop here every day for the sign alone.

Rest in natural great peace

This exhausted mind
Beaten helpless by karma and neurotic thought,
Like the relentless fury of the pounding waves
In the infinite ocean of samsara.

Rest in natural great peace.

Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche

sometimes the trite is right

My mom's cousin was in town this weekend from Pennsylvania. She's a 12-stepper and a therapist and can talk about recovery and addiction and fears and avoidance forever. (If you've read my blog, you know I love these topics). Anyhow, this weekend she shared this with me and now I share it with you. It might sound trite or pat or cliche, but I think it is true.

FEAR

fuck everything and run

or

face everything and recover

What I've been thinking about lately is that what it is we do not face, do not express, do not come to terms with — these things will own us for the rest of our lives.

Or maybe that is just me. But I can easily see where I've chosen to run away, to avoid, to assume, to not question, to push away, to close my eyes — and these things have hurt me in the end. They have only served to make my life smaller. They've created road blocks and stumbling blocks and mumbling crocks. They've solidified into constricting scar tissue. Boogie men that I'd rather keep in the closet or under the bed.

But the problem is, you can cognitively know you need to get over it, move on, face it. But for whatever reason, your soul is still scared. You are still an unspoken chicken.

So what do you do?

I dunno. Just show up I guess. Just show up. Just be there. Just open up. Just hold out your arms like Christ on the cross and accept reality for what it is. And maybe then you can take the nails from your hands, get down off that stand and move on.

rip van emdot

i just woke up from a nap that was so deep that i couldn't figure out how long i'd been sleeping. i looked at the clock. 5:45. and i thought for ten whole minutes that it was 5:45 AM and that i had slept all the way through saturday afternoon and night. it took logging into my flickr account to prove that it was still saturday and that i'd only slept for about three hours.

i'm sick (achoo achoo)

i'm sick (achoo achoo), originally uploaded by emdot.

i'm sick and totally whiny and i'm totally tired of hanging around myself

This cold has been creeping up on me for a couple of weeks. You know — when you are on the edge of getting sick and then you fight it off and it goes away but then a couple of days later you feel like you are on the edge of getting sick again?

Today I napped for hours and that was nice. And I wanted some OJ but never seemed to get my butt out of the house to get any. And I drank all my bottled water. And never seemed to get my butt out of the house to get more of that either.

I snapped at my mom twice without meaning to. (I'm sorry mom.). And my mom is exceptionally sweet on the mom scale and doesn't deserve a snappy daughter. I still feel bad about that.

-----

Someone took the spare tire cover off of the back of my car. So weird. Why would they do that?

-----

I burned my tongue and I chipped a back tooth (just a little but rough enough that I keep noticing it.).

----

Let's see, what else can I complain about in public? :)

----

I think I will boil some water for some tea and I have the classic movie of all classic movies to watch. Tom invited me over to watch Snatch, but I think I will curl up on my couch, tea in hand and watch the hey day of Hollywood instead.

jamelah

And while I'm still pimping streams and things, DO NOT MISS Jamelah's thoughts on daylight saving time. Totally worth it. Click now.

» Jamelah's thoughts on daylight savings time

señor don gato

señor don gato, originally uploaded by 7-how-7.

And while I'm doing the flickr pimping thing....

Yet another reason why I love Flickr.

Señor don gato by the Super Mr. Sevens.

submarines

submarines, originally uploaded by Orrin.

Here's the Submarines, blogged below. I had to go back and find this photo from Orrin (new flickr contact). How great is this — her sweater and that wall? Great great photo. Everyone go and check out Orrin's photos. While you listen to the Submarines.

ann marie

ann marie, originally uploaded by emdot.

listen up

All day long I think of things I want to blog. Sometimes I'm smart enough to write them down. But somehow actually getting these things to my blog has been a little more challenging... new schedules mean new time slots for the things that used to come whenever I pleased.

Yesterday I spent a good part of the morning listening to KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic, which I used to blog about frequently back in the Dub-Ay days. Cool new offerings = two daily podcasts. So go go go now and either sign up for your daily earfest or make a note to check in on them daily.

NPR (KCRW's mothership?) is also in on the daily yum yum with a song of the day pick. While not a podcast and not downloadable, worth the trip and the visit. What I like about their songs is that they are not all new. Some of them require quite a reach back. And that's nice too. It's enough to make you go go go now and take a little listen.

This morning I got wind of a really cool mix for you to download: The Art of Whistling - DJ Papa. It's aweome and totally worth the time of the 72MB download. So go go go now and get your whistling earfest.

And finally, my friend Steve's friends have a new musical incarnation called The Submarines. Some of you have already gotten the link from me, but I'm here to pass it on to the lot of you. Great story behind them, too. Maybe it tells it on the site. Don't miss their Peace and Hate song which I love.

» KCRW: Daily Podcasts
» KCRW: Today's top tune
» NPR Song of the Day
» The Art of Whistling: DJ Papa
» The Submarines

why didn't i read this earlier?

Since everything is but an apparition,
Perfect in being what it is,
Having nothing to do with good or bad,
Acceptance or rejection

You might as well burst out laughing!

— LONGCHENPA

Great morning to weird afternoon to hopefully fun party.

best news ever

Jill Carroll freed. The news I woke up to. Best news ever.

pig lovers on knees

pig lovers on knees, originally uploaded by crumbs of pie.

why i love flickr

overheard

pierre: underpants. clean.
mar: that's music to my rears.

Twilight

Twilight, originally uploaded by It'sGreg.

Jackson is a good dog.

Goatshead Revisited

Goatshead Revisited, originally uploaded by Pickersgill Reef.

resevoir goats

This is why I love flickr.

stacie 8

stacie 8, originally uploaded by Rakka.

Dear Magic 8 Ball,

All of my co-workers are gone for the day. I'm trying hard to concentrate.

Would it be okay to get a second latte?

Sincerly,

Emdot

couch

couch, originally uploaded by emdot.

a year ago today

i took this photo. and was having an extended sojourn behind the orange curtain.

overheard

emdot: can I curse with you or do you find that crass?
s.: TOTALLY OFFENDED BY CURSE WORDS!(love the crass)
emdot: okay then, fucking brilliant.
s: no, really offended.
emdot: FUCKING BRILLIANT.
s: better.

Shadow art

Shadow art, originally uploaded by Lost in Rio.

from jenn

Jill is hosting a Karate Kid marathon this Friday night starting with
a japanese dinner (not sure what this is going to look like, maybe
just rice??) at 7:30. There will be a crane contest, so start
practicing. If your serious about anything, you'll wear your
headband. Depending on the mood we might watch all four movies. See
you then.

the little things

i think i must be l.'s only gmail chat person because this morning when i fired up ye olde gmail, his status was set to "good morning em-skaya." that is a great way to start a day. it's the little things.

this message has been brought to you by emdot's proud sponsor for the past 30+years, Stating the Obvious, Ltd.